I am sure many of us have come across micro managers, I have been told there isn't the best way to tackle them. However, there must be a pattern to look upon and Proact rather than React.
My POV here is both, handing them( micromanagers) from the top management level and as well as other workers who work under and around the micro manager. But more importantly a tackleful strategy or a method top management can take.
Need some real life experiences in dealing with them and how one can be brought into control.
Following next - How can they be avoided (developing them)? - Is the culture of the company which should be blamed for their behavior?
The best way is always through helping your people to grow.
Think about the micro managers motivation - typically it is fear driven. Alleviate that fear. Give them the One Minute Manager book and talk about it... If they are tough to approach, hire an outside consultant to come in and talk with the whole group. Micromanagers run good employees away...so if you are not betting on this horse, perhaps it is time to restructure the department...
Keep in mind that micro-management is more about the Leader than anyone else. The behaviour of always needing to be involved is a product of being afraid of failing. These people live in the "if you want it done right do it yourself" camp. The lack of trust stems from the fear of what will happen if someone's "failure" is pinned on them.
Two plans of attack:
1. If you want to help them get past this then it needs to be dealt with at the root level and that means coaching them through their own fear to understand that the world won't end if something fails.
2. Second plan of attack is to raise their own self-awareness around what impact they have on their team because of their micro-managing ways. This can be done simply through a "check-in". It goes something like this:
You: Bob, you got a minute? I want to check in with you about something.
Bob: Sure. What is it?
You: I know the project we're working on is really important to you but the number of times you make me review it with you (or whatever the situation is) makes me feel like you don't trust me or my ability to do it properly. Is that how you really feel?
This will open the door to negotiate new terms to the relationship.
